Freight-car seal.



C. D. HALL, SR.

FREIGHT GAR SEAL. APPLIOATION FILED fm1 1911.

. 1,007,690 Patented Nov. '7, 1911K.

CARY D. HALL, SR., 0F BALTIMORE, MBYLAND.

FREIGHT-CAE, SEAL.

To all 'whom zit may concern.' l y Be it known that I, CARY D. HALL, Sr., a citizen of the United States of America, re-

siding at the city of Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Freight-Car Seals, of which the following is a specification. y

This invention relates to seals, and particularly the seals of thetype most commonly used by railroad companies on freight car doors. The purpose of such seals is to indicate clearly and with certainty whether or not the car has been opened since the seal was applied. To be effective, such a seal must be so constructed that when once closed or applied, it cannot be opened or removed without so defacing itthat the fact that itl has been tampered with will be apparent on formed by folding the metal band back' even a casual inspection. l To produce a new and improved mechanically locking shackle seal, which cannot be picked .without making Vthe fact of such picking apparent,l is the object of myinvention.

.In its preferred form, the seal consists of a shackle, one end of which is provided with a hook, the other end being 'recessed and slotted so that the hook can pass through the slot into the recess; a keeper having a.

tongue extending into the recess; the point. `or bent-over portion of the hook being apertured/ to receive the tongue and disposed toward thekeeper. This' form of m device is illustrated in the accompanying ch'awing.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of 'the seal, the hooked end of theshacklebeing free. Fig. 2 .is a vertical, longitudinal cross-section through the seal, the shackle being broken'ofi'. Fig. 3 is a vertical crosssetion taken transversely of the cap. Fig. 4 shows the various elements of my device, separated from eachother, but arranged in the order in which they occur the assembled struc- The seal consists of a' shackle1, preferably formed of a flexible metalband, (ine end of which has' a hook 2 which may be `upon itself. The'opposite extremity of the band` is re-cessed or offset at 3, and in the shoulder 4 of the offset is a transverse slot or aperture 5 to admit the hooked end 2 of the shackle, so that the hook may be passed through the slot into .the recess. The recess, as shown, is closed by means of a keeper plate 7 which, in this embodi` Specification of Letters Patent. `Application tiled February `1, 1911.

serial no. 605,982.

Yment of my invention, is attached to the buttend of the shackle by means of ears 8 on the plate which engage slots 9 in the v. shackle. The keeper plate 7 is provided with a central 1resilienttongue 10 which maybe a portion of the plate` punched up as shown. This tongue projects into'the recess x 3, and when the seal is locked or in operation, passes through apertures 11 and A12 provided for its reception in the hooked end of the band.y Preferably in forming the hook; the band is benmoward i the keeperplate so that the barb orbent portion yot the hook rests on the plate. In the embodiment of my invention shown, the' recessed portion ofl the butt-end of. the shackle is apertured atv 13 to permit free action of the ton e.' To close the aperture between the butt-end of the shackle and the keeper plate, the shackle is provided with a depending 11p 14 formed by depressing 'the edgeof the slot 5J on the side remote from the offset..

For the purpose of vprotecting the devicel 'from the weather. andto render tampering with it additionally dilicult, the butt-end 6 of the shackle with the cooperating keeper late 7 i are in closed withln a cap 15 w 'ch is so constructed as :to provide an a erture 16 adjacentl the butt-end of the s ackle, for the admission of ,the hooked end 2 of the same. .This aperture is protected by `a ilat protruding 11p 17. The shackle is marked with arrows '18, the points of which register with the edges of Y the cap when the seal closed.

The o eration of my device will be apparent iiom the description. When the hooked end is inserted into the cap, it passes through theaperture 5' in the butt-end of the-shackle and occupies the recess 3. As the hooked end is advanced, it `lir'stdepresses the tongue 10 until thelatter is freed by Lregistration with the apertures Y 11 and 12, when it springsv up and passes throu the hook. When once so placed, the wlthdrawal of the hooked end of the shackle, without mutilation of the seal, is impossibl The lip 14 rotects the aperture between the butt-endo the shackle and the keeper plate, so thatno linstrument can be ,thrust therein. Any instrument -which is thrust between Ythe buttendand a the-hooked. end of the shackle, will enter the 11 hook proper and be entirely ineffective., Any instrument thrust into the cap on top Patented Nov. 7,1911.

f terms herein are used in their descriptive rather than in their limiting sense, and the scope of the invention is defined in the accompanying claims.

l claim-el. A freight car seal consisting of a flem ble band havinga hook at one end, the other endJ being slotted to receive the hook, a keeper aixed to/the said slotted end and having a tongueprojecting across and beyond the slot, the hook being slotted to receive the tongue and suitable means for preventing access to the locking portions of the seal.

2. A freight car seal consisting of a ilexible band having ahook at one end,.the other end bein slotted to receive the hook, a tongue a ed to the slotted end and projecting across the slot, the hook havin ltwo slots, one in the shank and the other in the point portion of the hook through both of which the tongue passes.

3. A freight car seal consisting of a ilexible band, having at one endA an oH-set and at the other a hook, the shoulder of the 0H- set being apertured to receive the hook, the

. hook being slotted and the odset end, carrying locking means, engaging the slot.

4. A freight car seal consisting of a shackle, one end of which is provided with a hook, the other end being recessed and the shoulder, which forms one side of the recess, being slotted to receive the hook, a

ture and parallel keeper secured to the shackle `over the.v recessand provided with a resilient tongue,

the hook being tongue. 5. A freight car seal consisting ot a shackle, one end of which is provided With a hook, the other end being recessed and slottedso that ,the hook can pass through the slot into the recess, a tongue extending into the recess, the hook having registering aperapertured to receive the tures to receive the tongue, so that the tongue passes through the shank and point portion of the hook. A

6. A freight car seal consisting of a shackle, one end of which is provided With a hook, the other' end. being recessed and slotted so the hook can pass through the slot into the recess, a keeper having a tongue extending into the recess, the point portion of the hook being apertured to.receive the tongue, the recessed end having a iiange adjacent the slot to close the space between the hook and keeper.

7. A lfreight car `seal consisting of a shackle, one end of which is provided with a hook, the other end being recessed and slotted -so the hook can pass throughthe slot into the recess, a keeper having a tongue extending finto the recess, the point portion .of the hook being apertured to receive the tongue, a lange on the recessed portion adjacent the slot to close the space between the hook and'keeper, and a cap inclosing the recessed end and apertured to admit the hook, the cap having a lipl adjacent the aperto t e portion of the shackle adjacent the cap.`

Signed by me at city of Baltimore,` State yof Maryland, this 5th day of January 1911.

naar n. HALL, sa

Witnesses:

lWVM. B. LnDnoN, @any D. HAIL, J r. 

